The present invention relates to an easily erected small cabin, in particular a toilet cabin, which is provided with a floor part, a ceiling part, wall elements and corner posts holding and connecting together the wall elements, wherein all the parts identified above are manufactured from plastics.
Within the meaning of the present invention, a xe2x80x9csmallxe2x80x9d cabin is understood to be a cabin which encloses a maximum of a few cubic metres such that it is, for example, still relatively easily transportable, and can be lifted and transported by means of a fork-lifter or small crane mounted on a truck. In particular, the small cabin should be transportable as a unit, which, in particular for the transportation of a large number of cabins, nevertheless does not exclude said cabins being dismantled into their individual parts and under certain conditions transported in a more space-saving manner in this way.
The individual parts of such a cabin are generally assembled in an interlocking manner, however, known cabins of the type described hereinabove have poor mechanical cohesion and a very low degree of torsional rigidity. Forces applied on one side or shearing forces can easily result in wall elements and posts or respectively the ceiling part and posts, or ceiling part and wall elements losing their interlocked connection and falling apart. Such forces can occur above all when such cabins are being erected or loaded.
Cabins are, moreover, also already known which have steel rods in the corner areas which produce a strong mechanical cohesion of the cabin. The manufacturing and assembly of such cabins is, however, relatively complex and expensive. Furthermore, with such cabins there is a considerable problem with the different expansion coefficient of steel and plastics, to the extent that cabins erected outdoors are often subjected to very great variations in temperature. This can very quickly lead to fatigue failures in the plastics material or to twisting and deformation of the entire cabin.
With respect to this prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide an easily erected cabin of the type described in the introduction, which is manufactured almost entirely from plastics and nevertheless has strong mechanical cohesion.
This object is solved in that either one the corner posts on the one hand and the floor element and the ceiling element on the other hand, or on the wall parts on the one hand and the floor part and/or ceiling part on the other hand, or else on the wall parts on the one hand and the posts on the other hand, alternately overlapping connecting elements are provided which each have bores which, when the parts are assembled, are bores which line up with one another, through which locking bolts extend which ensure the cohesion of the parts thus connected.
An embodiment of the invention is preferred in which the connecting elements are provided on corner posts and the floor part and/or the ceiling part, wherein at least two diametrically opposite corner posts on the one hand and the floor part and ceiling part on the other hand are provided with alternately overlapping connecting elements, which each have bores which, when the corner posts, floor and ceiling parts are assembled, are aligned and through which locking bolts extend which ensure the cohesion of the posts with the floor part and the ceiling part.
Advantageously, the connecting elements are manufactured in the style of tongue and groove connections and are provided with bores which extend at right-angles to the groove walls and the tongue. In the preferred embodiment each connecting element has on one post and the corresponding ceiling part, and on the floor part at the other end of the post, at least two cross bores through which the locking bolts extend, wherein these locking bolts are at a minimum distance of 50 mm apart.
Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the connecting elements in the form of a tongue and groove extend in an arc with an angle dimension of between 30xc2x0 and 90xc2x0, in particular in an arc of approximately 60xc2x0. The bores then advantageously extend in the radial direction of the radius of curvature at an angular distance of at least 30xc2x0 apart, preferably approximately 45xc2x0. The radius of curvature of the arc formed by the tongue and groove is in the range between 5 and 50 cm, preferably between 15 and 30 cm, this being relative to the arc of an imaginary centre line along a groove and/or a tongue. Clearly, the curvature of the arc formed by the tongue and groove does not necessarily have to be constant, but instead can, for example, be greater in the centre area (smaller radius of curvature) than in the area of the end sections of the tongue and groove.
Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment of the invention the tongue and groove are configured wedge-shaped in longitudinal section. This facilitates assembly and nevertheless ensures reliable cohesion, in particular when the tongue is slightly over-sized with respect to the groove, such that the bores in the tongue and groove can only be brought into alignment with one another using a certain degree of force, and are held solidly engaged in this position by means of the bolts.
Preferably, the connecting elements in the form of tongues are located on the upper and lower ends of the posts, while the connecting elements on the ceiling part and on the floor part are provided with the corresponding grooves, the walls of the grooves moreover extend into the corner areas of the floor part and the ceiling part approximately perpendicularly to the plane of the floor and respectively the ceiling part, in the direction of the posts. In the floor, the imaginary extension of the posts and respectively of the connecting elements, plastics extensions or xe2x80x9clugsxe2x80x9d are also provided, which each have a lifting eye in the form of a large cross bore.
All cross bores through hollow parts, in particular through the hollow walls of the grooves and also through the hollow tongue on the upper and lower ends of the posts are configured as continuously sheathed bores and pipes respectively, which facilitates the transfer of forces via inserted locking bolts, and provides a better distribution of plastics material.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the cabin has four corner posts and a substantially square floor area with rounded corners. The external contour of the corner posts follows this curvature, and in cross-section the corner posts extend over a greater or lesser sized arc as far as the wall elements which are configured as an infill or panelling between the corner posts.
The wall thickness of the hollow parts, in particular of the walls of the grooves and of the tongues are between approximately 3 mm and 6 mm, and, to the extent that the transfer of forces between the posts, ceiling part and floor part is applied through the completely sheathed cross bores and the locking bolts, can transfer relatively large pulling and pushing forces. The greatest wall thickness should therefore be provided in the area of the cross bores of the connecting elements.
The provision of two connecting bolts at a distance apart from one another on each pair of connecting elements therefore contributed significantly to improving stability and to increasing cohesion.
Using the lifting eyes, the entire cabin can be suspended on two diametrically opposite posts. Advantageously all the posts are provided with the connecting elements, and the floor part and ceiling part have the corresponding connecting elements in all corner area. The lifting eyes in the imaginary extension of the posts on the ceiling part are also advantageously provided in all the corner areas. The lifting eyes are cross bores in the lugs or tabs on the upper end of the connecting elements of the ceiling part, which have a relatively large diameter of, for example, 50 mm.
The wall parts are advantageously received in grooves which run along the long side edges of the individual posts, wherein corresponding grooves can also be provided in the floor part and in the ceiling part, so that the edge of the wall parts is continuously enclosed in the posts, floor parts, and ceiling parts when the cabin is completely assembled. Clearly, the edges of the wall parts acting as a type of tongue in a lateral groove in the posts and engaging in corresponding grooves along the edges of floor and ceiling parts could also be connected to the posts and respectively the ceiling and floor part by means of appropriate bores and bolts extending through them.
One of the wall elements is naturally configured as a door so that there is access to the cabin. The wall parts can also, where necessary, be manufactured as double-walled hollow parts, if, for example, good thermal insulation is desired. In addition, the wall parts have embossed strengthening structures in the form of longitudinal and transverse ribs which can also be arranged in a decorative fashion so that with respect to the three-dimensional structure, an optical impression similar to wood panelling is provided.